


Fate's Path

by Crazy_Pairing_Person



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, Childhood Friends, Drabble Collection, Drama, Falling In Love, Fluff, Love Confessions, M/M, Master/Slave, One Shot Collection, Way Walkers AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-21
Updated: 2018-11-23
Packaged: 2019-06-30 18:02:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 4,262
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15756912
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Crazy_Pairing_Person/pseuds/Crazy_Pairing_Person
Summary: These oneshots and drabbles are, MOSTLY, not connected! (So that I can have lots of ships, hehe) But some stuff is going to be the same throughout all the oneshots.Anyway, these oneshots and drabbles all take place in a little AU I like to call the Haikyuu Way Walker AU! Enjoy!





	1. Kindness is Red - TsukiYama

**Author's Note:**

> Please check my profile before you decide to demand an update, and enjoy the fic!

Tadashi was just on his way home, carrying all the produce he hadn't managed to sell that day.

Aralim, as many knew, was an intensely hot country. And today was no exception. The sun was beating down on him relentlessly, warming him under his cloak and making him wish he'd worn fewer layers.

A high-pitched scream echoed in his ear, and he dropped his produce, taking off into a sudden sprint. He knew what the scream meant, as all the other humans around him scattered into the nearest buildings.

An annarite raid.

Typically, raids were short, with the annarites only taking what was needed to survive. But Tadashi had heard rumors of more cruel and vicious annarites taking humans as slaves, so he didn't want to be stuck outside.

He ran to the nearest building, only to find the doors locked. He cursed to himself, and checked behind him. The large, red humanoids hadn't yet noticed him, and they were looking around at the stands - stands which had long since been abandoned by their owners. The food was there, unguarded, ready for the annarites to take, but they simply turned away. As if they weren't interested in food this time.

And then their eyes locked on Tadashi.

"That one will do," the largest annarite said, pointing straight at Tadashi.

Tadashi spun on his heel, banging on the locked doors. "Let me in!" he begged. "Please!"

No one let him in, and before he knew it he was being grabbed. The largest annarite put a collar and leash on him, and the two smaller ones tied his hands together with some rope.

Oh believe him, he struggled against them. If they wanted to take him, he wasn't going to let them go without a fight.

But him against three annarites?

Of course he lost.

* * *

At some point, he stopped struggling against the binds and the leash. At some point, he let the annarites lead him into the Middle Lands.

At some point, he just gave up.

They led him far into the Middle Lands, far enough that by the time they got him where they wanted him to go, the sun had long since set in the distance.

The Middle Lands, as it turned out, weren't much different from Aralim. It was just less bustling, with fewer buildings and more mines - and likely with less humans.

The annarites who'd taken him led him into a house that was larger than the other houses in the village they were in. "You will be the Warlord's son's slave," the largest annarite informed him. "He's asleep right now. You're going to be his birthday surprise tomorrow. For tonight, you'll sleep in my room, but tomorrow you will sleep in his."

Tadashi was too scared to reply verbally, so he only offered a meek nod. It seemed enough for the annarites.

They didn't untie his hands, and the leash was tied to the door on the largest annarite's room, so he couldn't get very far.

He did consider untying the leash - he still had use of his fingers, after all - but the realization hit him that he didn't know how to navigate the Middle Lands on his own. Especially at night.

So he sat down on the cold, hard floor, leaning against the door, and did his best to get some rest.

* * *

The annarite actually pet him on the head when he saw that Tadashi hadn't run away.

Pet him. On the head.

"We would have found you anyway," the annarite explained, "but it's good that you didn't make us waste that energy and time."

Tadashi half-expected to be given a dog treat.

He was led by the annarite, now sans his lackeys, out of the large house and into what Tadashi guessed was the town square or marketplace of the town.

He saw a crowd of annarites. Some were sort of small, but most of them were large. There were also a few humans - some were slaves, like he was going to be, and others had been raised in the Middle Lands as honorary annarites.

"Kei! Kei!"

The annarite led Tadashi by his leash over to one of the annarites. A smaller one, with bright red skin, white hair, and glasses. "What?" 'Kei' asked, looking annoyed by the other annarite's presence.

"This is my gift," the larger annarite said, shoving Tadashi into the smaller annarite's arms. "He's your first slave!"

"I don't want a slave," Kei replied, but the larger annarite was already walking away. Kei sighed in annoyance, and looked down at Tadashi. "...Name?"

"T-Tadashi..."

"My name is Kei Tsukishima. You, however, will call me master." Then, he muttered under his breath, "Apparently."

Tadashi nodded his head, eyes wide, knees shaking. "Y-yes, master."

"Come on. I'll show you where you'll be living."

Kei took him by the leash, and gently led him - as opposed to the other annarite, who'd been yanking him along - back to the large house.

As soon as they got into what Tadashi assumed to be Kei's room, Kei shut the door and immediately untied Tadashi's wrists. "That must have been painful," Kei said, eyeing the red marks on Tadashi's pale skin. "I have medicine somewhere in here, just give me a second..."

Tadashi didn't dare ask why Kei is being so nice, because he didn't know the sorts of things that would set an annarite off. So he sat in silence, letting Kei dab the wounds with some sort of medicine, and then watched as he wrapped his wrists in bandages.

"I didn't really want a slave," Kei said. "If you want to run away, I won't make them look for you."

Tadashi didn't know he could trust Kei then. Didn't know that he really meant what he said.

So he shook his head, forcing a smile. "No thanks. If... If you keep being nice like this, it won't be too bad for me."

Kei looked genuinely stunned, and then his cheeks went from a vibrant red to a dark black. "Shut up," he said, averting his gaze.

* * *

"So, you're royalty?" Tadashi asked one day.

Kei had been silently reading in his bed, and Tadashi had been quietly sitting on the floor, his leash once more tied to a door.

"Not in your human definitions of royalty," Kei replied, "but I'm as close to that as I could get, so sure, why not."

He was a slave to the annarite equivalent of a prince.

Well, he was friendly, Tadashi reasoned. When they were alone, anyway. In public, to keep up appearances, Kei had to be a bit more forceful, but he always apologized for it when they were alone again, so it was okay.

Tadashi stood, eventually, and moved as close to the bed as the leash would allow him. "What are you reading?"

Kei looked up, eyeing Tadashi with a sort of interest. Tadashi rarely would come closer to him of his own freewill. He held up the book, letting him see the cover.

"'Peaches and Strawberries'? What's that about?" Tadashi asked, tilting his head.

"An annarite who falls in love with a human," Kei replied, looking back to the pages. "The title both refers to their skintones and to an event that happens partway through the book. I've read it about four times."

"I've never read a book with annarite characters," Tadashi admitted.

"They're somewhat banned outside of the Middle Lands," Kei replied. "If you ever want to read something, just ask and I'll let you pick something from my collection."

Tadashi looked at the leash tying him to the door, then he looked over to the small pile of books across the room. Would he really...?

"I would like to read something now, actually," he said - mostly to see if Kei would do what he thought he would.

And then Kei stood up, and did something he didn't expect.

What Tadashi had expected: For Kei to untie the leash and lead him over to the pile of books. Give him a bit of freedom in that way, but not enough to chance him running away.

What happened: Kei unhooked the leash from Tadashi's collar entirely, giving him more freedom than he'd become accustomed to.

Tadashi blinked, looking at Kei as if to ask if this was really okay. And in reply, Kei motioned him towards the pile of books, and then went back to the bed, sitting down to finish his fifth reading of his own book.

Tadashi took a deep breath, and approached the books.

Yes, he could have run. Kei had said he could when they first met.

But something about Kei's kindness was making him stay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I didn't set a good tone for this AU in this oneshot (on a number of levels) but I hope someone out there has enjoyed it anyway!
> 
> Next chapter I'll do AsaNoya!


	2. Honorary Annarite - AsaNoya

For all intents and purposes, Yuu is an annarite.

True, he doesn't have the bright red skin (his skin is an icky, peachy, human color) and he doesn't have silver hair (he has icky, black, human hair) but he is definitely an annarite.

Why?

Well, that's simple.

He doesn't want to be human.

Don't misunderstand, now. Yuu, by no means, follows the Way of Evil. But then again, no annarite truly does.

Humans, though. Humans will follow the Way of the Red if they want to. And then they have the nerve to turn around and call annarites the evil ones.

Hypocrites, all of them.

Yuu knows he's not truly an annarite. Has known since he was young.

"Mama?" he'd spoken, tugging on her arm. "How come all the other annarites are red, and I'm not?"

That was when she had explained to him his human origins.

His mother - his human mother, his  _cowardly_ mother - had seen the annarites coming to raid her village. She'd burst into tears, and offered him up, just a baby, in return for her own life.

"We hadn't even planned on taking her or her life," his mother had explained, "but the fact that she was so willing to give you in her stead disgusted me. So I took you and gave you a better life, a more loving mother."

And Yuu never demanded that he see his true mother, because he too was disgusted by what she'd done. Yes, he wondered, sometimes, if she missed him, but he most certainly did not miss her, so he felt no need to return.

From that day forward, Yuu vowed that he would always be an annarite. No matter what.

...Even though people constantly taunt him for his short stature.

He has, as the humans say, an ace up his sleeve.

"You must be the smallest annarite I've ever seen," the annarite in front of him sneers. He's not from Yuu's village, so he's not aware of his ace.

Approaching the visitor from behind, is his ace. "Ah, hey, Asahi!" Yuu chirps at the sight of his childhood friend.

The annarite turns around, and freezes.

"Is something wrong?" Asahi asks, looking down at his fellow annarite. He doesn't look particularly scary, not in Yuu's opinion, but the visitor doesn't realize how docile Asahi is.

"This guy just said I'm-"

Yuu's sentence is cut off as the visitor turns tail and runs away, screaming in terror. Asahi watches with his brows furrowed, and Yuu tosses his head back with laughter.

He loves being an annarite.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Making puns on the canon in AU fics is my favorite thing.


	3. What's in a Name? - KageHina

Tobio, for the record, is not weak. Don't believe the stuff other annarites say about him. He's just as tough as the rest of them, even though he happens to be the size of a human.

And speaking of humans...

"Stay still!" Tobio snaps to the orange-haired human in front of him.

"But it  _hurts_!" the human whines. Tobio has half a mind to smack him upside the head, but he doesn't want to seem ungrateful. So, he just grits his teeth, and goes back to tending the human's wounds.

After about half a minute of silence, the human sees fit to point out, "You're hurt too, you know."

"Shut up."

The human flinches back at Tobio's vicious tone - something the annarite notices. He can't help but scowl. "So you really are just like all the other humans," he says bitterly, tacking on a humorless laugh at the end.

"Of course I'm not!" the human argues. "I tried to help you, didn't I?!"

Tobio ignores him, because the human is right. And Tobio hates admitting when he's wrong.

"My name is Shouyou," the human eventually says. When Tobio doesn't immediately offer up his own name in reply, he asks, "What's your name?"

Tobio ignores him.

He knows he's being rude. He knows that this Shouyou deserves more gratitude and kindness than he's offering.

But he hates his name. He hates the fact that he was given such a name, such a  _human_ name, just because of his size. Just because most other annarites tower above him, it doesn't mean he deserves such an insult!

"Hello?" Shouyou says, pouting like a young child. "Did you hear me?"

"I heard you just fine," Tobio says evenly. "But I'm not giving you my name."

"Why not?" Shouyou whines.

"None of your business is why."

"How come you get to know my name and I can't know yours? That doesn't seem fair."

"Yeah, well, life isn't fair," Tobio snaps.

"Life isn't sentient. You can't blame life when things fuck up. But you're sentient, and you're using your sentience to be a jackass!"

Tobio doesn't reply - mainly because he doesn't know how to.

Things are silent for all of a full minute, and Tobio cherishes each second that goes by. Then, he helps Shouyou to stand. "Can you get home by yourself?" he asks.

"I'm old enough to walk home by myself, yes," Shouyou says, rolling his eyes. "Though I still want your name."

"No."

Shouyou scowls. "Fine," he mutters.

And he turns and stomps out of Tobio's house.

It takes Tobio a moment to realize that he never properly thanked Shouyou for saving him from the other humans.

For a brief moment, he feels guilt. He shoves the thought away, though, and gets to work tending to his own injuries.


	4. Tomatoes - NishiHina

Shouyou's family is a family of farmers. It's not always easy, working in the hot sun, but it is rewarding.

What scares him, though, is when he's the one who has to go on the trips to deliver the goods.

Most of the time, they only deliver within Aralim, but sometimes they do deliver outside the nation.

But never... Never there. Never, ever, the Middle Lands.

Not before today.

Shouyou kept his gaze forward as he rode on his horse, hands tight on the reins. The cart behind him, which the horse was pulling, was filled to the brim with tomatoes.

The annarite village was just up ahead. His heart was racing in his chest, spotting the red creatures walking about in the distance.

"Hey!"

In his shock at the sudden shout, Shouyou yanked on the reins, pulling his horse to a sudden and forceful stop. He turned his head, shaking all over...

And there was another human, one with black hair, holding up one of his family's tomatoes. "You dropped this," he said simply.

"Uh," Shouyou choked on whatever he was going to say. After a moment of staring and wondering, he said, "you keep it. It's going to be dirty now."

"It can be washed," the other human said with a shrug. "But okay." The human pointed at the village Shouyou was headed to. "You going there?"

"Y-yeah."

"Cool. I live there." The human smiled. "It's rare that traders come to our nation."

...What.

"Um," Shouyou forced himself to say, "aren't you... A human...?"

The human scowled. "Biologically, yes," he said bitterly. "But I consider myself to be an annarite through and through."

Before Shouyou could comment, the human stormed forward, heading towards the village. After a minute, letting the clearly ticked-off person get a headstart, Shouyou moved forward.

* * *

Shouyou pulled up to the shop that the tomatoes were to be delivered to, and hopped off his horse. He let out a relieved sigh. "Man, it's gonna be hell to get back," he mumbled to his horse. But he didn't have to worry about that for a while.

For now, he had to let the annarites know that their tomatoes were here.

He entered the shop, keeping his head down. "Excuse me," he said, getting the attention of the woman at the shop counter. "I'm from Hinata Produce in Aralim. Your order of tomatoes is out front."

"Ah! Thank you!" the woman chirped. Shouyou lifted his head, shocked by the happy, cheery tone.

He'd expected something like, 'Get out before I skin you alive!' or 'So what?! You expecting more money than we already paid?!'.

"Yuu!" the woman called. "Come help this nice boy unload our delivery!"

Shouyou saw the... 'Annarite' from before enter the shop area, and saw him immediately shoot Shouyou a menacing glare.

But still, he didn't argue with what he'd been told to do. He just shoved past Shouyou and went outside.

After a minute of hesitation, Shouyou followed him.

"So, your name is Yuu?" he asked conversationally, grabbing one of the boxes from the cart.

"What's it to you? Gonna comment on how my name is just as human as my appearance?"

"No," Shouyou mumbled. "I was just asking." Then, after a moment, he added, "My name is Shouyou."

Yuu didn't reply, and the rest of the delivery passed in silence.

But just as Shouyou was getting on his horse, Yuu came back out, and looked up at him. "I'm going to make mom order more of your tomatoes. They're really good."

"Y-you ate the one that was on the ground?!"

"I washed it first!" Yuu snapped. "Don't act like that's not a thing!"

Shouyou sighed softly. "Well, uh... Thanks. I guess."

"You better deliver them every time," Yuu said, narrowing his eyes. "Every. Time."

Shouyou didn't have a chance to ask 'why' because Yuu immediately turned around and stormed back into the store.

Oh, well... He had a long horse ride to look forward to.

 


	5. Seeing You Again - HinaYama

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I thought of how this plot could go and I had to add this ship in (also, this one ties into all future TsukiHina fics as well).

The scary thing, Shouyou thinks, is that he doesn't know what's happened to Tadashi.

His best friend had been taken almost a year ago by annarites. That much he knows. But he doesn't know anything beyond that - doesn't know where he is, what he's doing, or if he's even alive.

That's scary. He wants his friend to be okay.

He's on his way to one of the nearby shops with a basket full of vegetables, when suddenly he's yanked into one of the nearby alleyways. His basket is dropped, scattering the various vegetables all over the ground, and his scream is covered by a hand. He stares up with widened eyes at his attacker.

"Are you Shouyou? Are you Tadashi's friend?"

The person has an accent that distinctly comes from the Middle Lands, Shouyou realizes. He tenses, and can only manage a nod.

"I'm Tadashi's... Master," the person says slowly, a frown coming to his lips. "Officially, anyway. I prefer to think of him as a friend." He lowers his hand from Shouyou's mouth. "I need your help."

* * *

The person turns out to be an annarite named Kei. He informs Shouyou that he's searching for a charm that Tadashi had mentioned missing. Immediately, Shouyou knows the exact charm he's talking about.

"I'll get it for you on one condition," Shouyou says. "I want to see Tadashi."

Kei agrees without any argument. It stuns Shouyou a little, how easily he agrees.

"Tadashi has mentioned you," Kei says with a flippant wave of his hand. "He'll be happy to see you again, trust me."

Shouyou nods slowly. "Stay here," he says. "Try not to draw any attention to yourself."

He leaves the alley, leaving Kei there, and he goes down to Tadashi's old house. He barges on in without knocking, being so used to doing that when he used to come over that it's just a habit. He apologizes to Tadashi's mother, who nearly jumped out of her skin, and then asks about the charm.

"The one you made for him. The one that makes Angani look upon him more favorably," he explains. "I... I wanted it to remember him by," he lies.

Tadashi's mother nods in understanding, a pained expression on her face. She has more than enough to remember her son by - losing one charm won't hurt, especially not to this boy who was always so close to Tadashi.

So she goes up to Tadashi's old room, and brings down the small bracelet-like object. Shouyou smiles brightly when she hands it over, and then rushes out almost before he can say thanks.

He brings the charm to Kei, who, per Shouyou's demand, begins leading him out of Aralim and into the Middle Lands.

* * *

Tadashi is sitting obediently on Kei's bed when the two arrive. Tadashi's face lights up at the sight of his old friend, but before he jumps up to hug him, he hesitates, looking at Kei for permission. When the annarite gives a small nod, Tadashi outright beams. "Shouyou!" he cries, running to pull his best friend into a tight hug. "I've missed you so much!"

The two hug for a full minute, and they're pulled apart by Kei giving an awkward cough.

"Ah-! Sorry, master!" Tadashi says, looking meekly down at the floor.

Kei shrugs, and holds out the charm, putting it in Tadashi's line of vision. Yet again, Tadashi's eyes light up, and he snatches up the charm, immediately putting it on his wrist with a bright smile.

Shouyou can't stay long, he realizes with a sad smile. He gives Tadashi another hug, though, and promises to visit again.

And as he leaves, he can't help but be relieved that, at the very least, Kei seems to be treating Tadashi well.

 

 


	6. The Views of the Ways - TsukiYama

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Very sorry, much apologize for no update. Enjoy.

Tadashi hummed, playing with the shimmering white dragon that hung from his wrist. "Master?" he spoke gently, looking up at Kei, who was laying leisurely on the bed again, reading another book.

"What is it?" Kei asked, amber-yellow eyes shifting from the ink on the paper to look over at where Tadashi was sitting on the floor.

"Do you follow any particular Way?"

Kei hummed at that question, and he reached for his bookmark on his bedside table. He sat up, sliding the thin cardboard between the pages with calculated movements. "That's quite the loaded question, isn't it?" he said. "However I answer, it's going to affect how you see me, isn't it?"

"How do you figure?" Tadashi asked, looking up in confusion.

"Well, if I say the Way of Purity, you'll think I'm just trying to appease your nerves," Kei explained. "So I can't say that." He leaned back, putting his weight on his hands as he eyed Tadashi. "If I say the Way of Evil, that's going to terrify you. And it will only add on to an untrue stereotype about my people."

Tadashi pursed his lips. He didn't think he could be scared of Kei at this point, with how kind he had been so far, but he didn't say that.

"However," Kei continued, "there are similar problems with other Ways. The Way of Death would have you thinking I'm morbid. The Way of Health would have you thinking I actually care about people outside myself and you."

Tadashi felt his cheeks flare up a bright red, but he continued to not speak, knowing that Kei wasn't done.

"Way of the Warrior? I'm bloodthirsty. Way of Protection? I'm a sneaky bastard you can't trust. Way of Creativity? Well, that doesn't have any particularly bad connotations, but I just don't care for art. As for the Ways of Truth, History, and Magic, I don't want you thinking I'm someone who puts so much value in intellect."

"But you do read a lot," Tadashi couldn't resist saying.

Kei chuckled. "True, but that doesn't mean I prefer the Way of Truth or the Way of History. I read fictional stories, which both of those Ways frown upon."

"Really?" Tadashi said. "I didn't know that."

Kei gave a slight hum. "Let me ask you something, Tadashi. Why do you follow Angani?"

Tadashi hummed, looking down at his bracelet. "It's comforting," he said softly. "My mother taught me that even if I ended up following another Way, Angani would always watch over and protect me. As a kid, I felt like I had to follow Angani to repay her for that." He shrugged. "Now, it's just a comfort. A way to feel close to home, now that..."

He fell silent. Kei frowned. "You know you can run," he said. "I told you that."

Tadashi smiled at that. "I know I can," he said softly. "But the fact that you give me the option is the whole reason I don't run. I know you won't mistreat me."

Kei made a soft 'tch' noise. "That's not a good reason to not run. If you miss your home, you should go back."

"Master, really, I'm okay. I don't mind staying here with you."

"You don't even do anything," Kei insisted. "You watch me read, and sometimes you read yourself. That's it."

"I like it, though, Master! I don't mind!"

Kei groaned. "...Fine. Whatever." He reached for his book again.

"Master... Can I get a book to read, too?"

"You know you can. Go on, get one."

Tadashi stood, walking over to the pile of books. He picked out 'Peaches and Strawberries', the book Kei had been reading a while ago. He held the cover to his chest as he went back to his place in the corner, curling up and beginning to read.


End file.
